The Irony Of Beauty And The Beast
by Demi L.J. Amor
Summary: Karin is the only suvivior of the fire that took her family when she was just five, but this left her mutilated and grotesque. Her main problem, she's fallen in love with Draco Malfoy.


_A single red rose lay on the oak dresser, not wilting despite it going for days, weeks, months, even years without water or sunlight. It's petals still blood red, still velvet, forever vibrant, its emerald stem still sharp with thorns and its scent still alluring. _

Karin sighed at her reflection, a grotesque girl stared back, half her face mutilated with burns from a fire she somehow survived when she was 5, ten years on and the scars and burns still looked as though they were fresh from yesterday. No potion or spell could cure it and anyone who saw her felt their blood curdle at the sight of what they called a truly hideous 'beast', being a witch of course she studied at Hogwarts and she was sorted into Hufflepuff for her loyal, friendly and sweet nature; and of course like most Hufflepuff's, mudbloods or freakish looking people she was bullied by Slytherin's, well them as bad as everyone else. And who was the main guy to bully her? None other than the smug, arrogant, ignorant Draco Malfoy who like everyone once in their lives, Karin swooned over the gorgeous blonde. She sighed, tucking her dirty blonde hair behind her ears, her bright green eyes ready to blink away the tears that came with another day before trudging out of her dormitory, out of the yellow and black common room and down to the Great Hall. Alone.

"Hey Scarface!" The narcissistic Slytherin shouted as she walked through the doors, her head immediately dropped to the floor and the room filled with roars of laughter, not just from the mass of sliver and green but from many Ravenclaw students, pupils in gold and red clad and even from her own house. The tears were already brimming but she shook them off and slowly walked to a seat at the back of the Hufflepuff table, isolated from everyone else, just longing for once to be accepted into at least one persons life. Her glassy eyes were raised and looking at Draco who was grinning gleefully at yet another successful attempt to humiliate her and she once again found herself wishing he only did it to hide his true feelings for her away, but it was to stupid to believe. Breakfast went fast and Karin rushed out of the Hall, not wanting to be spotted but being found anyway, one of the chubby chimpanzees that hung around Draco stuck his foot out and the innocent blonde went skidding across the floor, the other monkey-boy just kicked her out of the way as though she was nothing - which she to most people was - causing yet another roar of laughter. Fighting the tears she got up and ran, wandering through the halls and ending outside in the courtyard.

Snow drifted down, cascading from the dismal grey sky, it crunched beneath her feet as she ran silently to a secluded area beside the lake, covered by a thicket of trees. As far as she knew, nobody knew about the area, but apparently that was not the case. As Karin drew closer to her secret hiding spot she spotted a young girl, around her age, with shoulder length blonde hair and fair skin. Karin drew closer, making her presence known as she snapped a twig with her foot. The girl pivoted around, blue eyes glistening, she took a sharp breath which formed into a gasp. However she did not scream or flee. For a first. Karin glanced down.

"Sorry I didn't mean to disturb you" She mumbled softly "I just needed to think" She added after the girl hadn't responded.

"It's alright" She smiled shyly "I'm Kate by the way, it's nice to meet you" It was Karin's turn to gasp, she snapped her head up, causing the dirty blonde hair to fall into her green eyes. No one for the last, long, ten years had ever looked at Karin without a grimace on their face, or a vulgar remark, let alone a smile.

"I'm Karin" She answered after getting over the shock, she gave Kate a smile and sat down beside the Black Lake. Kate shyly smiled and sat beside the Hufflepuff, which confused Karin. How come she wasn't hiding away from the mutilated girl, but Karin didn't question it. She wasn't about to throw what could be her only chance of getting a friend.

"Well Karin, it looks like lessons are about to start. Aren't you in my Herbology class next?" Kate asked, standing up and brushing some dirt from her, Karin nodded.

"Yes I am" Karin answered, also standing up. The two blondes smiled at each other and began walking to the greenhouses. "Anyway, I haven't really seen you around Kate, how come?" Karin questioned, curious.

"I transferred about two days ago from Beauxbatons, I was sorted privately into Hufflepuff but I keep myself to myself. I'm sort of shy around people I don't know" Karin nodded, understanding exactly what she meant, they arrived at Greenhouse 2, most of the Hufflepuff's were in line and as usual all the Slytherin's looked completely bored, Draco looked up, a malicious grin plaster his face as he nudged his friends to look up.

"Scarface has a friend" A pug-faced girl chuckled dryly, Karin noticed her as Parkinson. Pansy Parkinson. Being the better people, the two blondes just ignored her snide remark and waited patiently for Professor Sprout. The rosy-cheeked professor beamed as she made her way to the class, but for a change the doors to the Greenhouse remained locked.

"Today class, we are going on a little plant hunt in the Forbidden Forest. In pairs" The class began buzzing when Professor Sprout cut them of. "You are not choosing your own partners, last time you chose your own partners the greenhouse nearly blew up!" The Slytherin half of the class sniggered and the Hufflepuff groaned, they had a good reason to as well. When Professor Sprout partnered up her classes it was one from one house, another from the other house. Professor Sprout cleared her throat and began reading from a long parchment sheet, eventually she came to the last few.

"Kate and Pansy" Pansy moaned loudly and Kate glanced down with a depressed sigh, Karin just patted her re-assuringly.

"At least your not with Malfoy" Karin smiled.

"Karin and Draco" Professor Sprout finished.

"Great I'm stuck with Scarface for a partner. How on Earth am I supposed to work with something like that!" Draco had no problem putting across his viewpoint, Karin looked down watery eyed and followed the group outside.

"Just ignore him, if you fail to do that ditch him in the forest" Kate states causing Karin to giggle lightly.

"Will do and thanks Kate, I'll see you after class" Karin smiled, walking of in Draco's shadow, retrieving a map from Professor Sprout and heading into the gloomy Forbidden Forest. Her misted grey eyes stared at Draco's back.

"Hurry up Scarface!" He grumbled impatiently. Something inside Karin stirred, whether it was knowing she had a friend to turn to or that she'd just had enough she wasn't sure, but the blonde finally spoke up.

"I have a name you know. And it's not Scarface" She spat in an almost spiteful tone. Almost. Draco stopped dead in his tracks, he turned to the girl, his grey eyes glinting in the rays of the sun. Now for the first time in five years, Draco saw the true identity behind the grotesque mask. It was a vulnerable, yet strong, ugly yet pretty, broken yet whole and independent but needed a shoulder young girl, who was blossoming into a beautiful women. She was strong and thrived to prove herself, but she knew inside her heart was what made her weak and it solely, told her when she'd gone to far.

"I know" He stated softly, shocking Karin at his tone.

"Really, what is it then?" She asked curiously, scared it was just a front.

"Karin Leanne Rhodes" Draco stated, shocking Karin more.

"Why are you intent on calling me Scarface, why do you get so much of a kick from upsetting me?" She questioned, desperate for the answer. Draco looked up thoughtfully his stormy-silver eyes unreadable to the Hufflepuff blonde.

"I don't know" He replied truthfully "Come on, Sprout will have a fit if we don't finish the task"

"True, but I'm sure she has an underlying reason as to why this task was assigned. I highly doubt it's something she's just randomly thought of over night" Karin half-rambled, but stopped before she went on, Draco nodded curtly and the two began on there little plant search. Occasionally stopping when they'd found one of the herbs on the list, finally they were looking for the last plant.

:There!" Draco suddenly exclaimed, it was about three metres of the pathway, not too much of a danger then.

"Let's get it then" Karin smiled, carefully stepping over the upturned roots, knotted branches and muddy grass, Draco right beside her. The closer they got to the silvery flower known as 'Flos Argenteos', the further it seemed to slip out of their grasp, but the duo continued chasing after it, oblivious. Blissfully oblivious until the sound of clicking in the silent forest drew them back to their senses

"D-Draco? What was that?" Karin breathed timidly, her green eyes growing wide with fear.

"What was what?" Draco asked, apparently he hadn't heard the clicking, there was more clicking followed soon after by a scuttling noise.

"T-that!" Karin whispered, she seemed to be shrinking away in his shadow, paralysed with sheer terror. The Slytherin male opened his mouth to respond but no sound came out and his slackened jaw just hung there, as a large silhouette drew over them. An arachnid's shadow.

"Acromantula" He finally answered in a voice so quite that it could have easily been mistaken for the wind which, suddenly, came to a stand still around them. Karin couldn't hold it in, she let out a strained yelp, gasped after looking into the beast's yellow-tinged eyes and hid her face in Draco's shoulder after flinging her arms around his neck. Usually the impulsive male would have shoved her off, but something deep in his stomach churned and he just let her cling onto him before whipping out his wand and pointing it at the spider. Thought's rushed through his mind before settling onto two spells in particular.

"Protego!" He shouted, an invisible shield surrounding the two blondes before her incanted his next spell "Serpen sortia". The gigantic spider, backed away, eyeing the snake that had been conjured from Draco's wand wearily, catching onto this the Slytherin had a brain wave. "Engorgio!" He yelled, pointing towards the snake, rapidly it increased in size, with a grumbling sound that reminded the pair of a strangled scream the Acromantula fled, leaving the engorged snake to slither after it. Karin, whom by now was shaking from fear, pulled away blushing, the tears evident in her eyes.

"S-sorry Draco…" She mumbled, averting her gaze towards the ground "But thanks, you saved me, you could have thrown me to the Acromantula and fled but you didn't, and well -" She was cut of from rambling again, but not from Draco's voice. No, not this time. The blonde boy smirked as his lips slowly covered hers, surprisingly the only part off her face without a scar. For Karin it was that dream out of reach suddenly jumped into her arms, and for Draco a simple confirmation of the feelings he'd masked by ridiculing the Hufflepuff., eventually he pulled away.

"And so the Lion fell for the Lamb… Or in this case the Snake fell in love with the Badger, but you get my point" Draco smirked, delicately taking Karin's hand in his own, like she was a fragile porcelain doll he was afraid to break. And so went the ironic tale of Beauty and the Beast.


End file.
